2006-05-16

posted by
coyote

In the nation's nominal capital, one tends to soak up, osmotically, more politics than one likes. Even if one is a hairy-ass quadruped that wishes to avoid politics altogether, one trips over an extremely unhealthy number of agenda-driven wonks.

I tolerate some of 'em, with severe reservations. I am a laissez-faire kinda coyote.

However, I fear and loathe the ideologues. Lest you think I contemptuously lift my pointed snout (or perhaps a rear limb) only at the current contol-freak Prime Minister and his merry (yet just now, strangely muted) gang, I'll say up front that I fear and loathe all ideologues from all colours of the visible and near-visible political spectrum -- from infrared to ultraviolet. I speak of a phenomenon with unfortunate cross-party appeal. Personally, I think that anyone that honestly thinks they might actually be competent to run any country is a borderline whack-job. If they're that sure they can, they scare the willies outta me.

Lest you think I'm gonna steer the Elgin Street Irregulars onto some kind of political soapbox, nope. Countless others in this city blog early, often, and way too loudly about politics from their particular podia. And welcome. I only wish somebody'd kick the soapboxes out from under a few and shut 'em up....

Ideologues, whatever their slants, are people who brook little opposition to their views. In fact, they can't wrap their heads around the idea that they might be wrong, no matter what their IQs. Many ideologues have very high IQs, but unfortunately this almost never prevents them from doing appallingly stupid things. I believe intelligence and stupidity were school buddies at Upper Canada College, years ago.

As long as I personally can avoid ideologues, that's fine. However, inside every ideologue is an id screaming to get out. One way it gets out is by getting itself elected,. But the only thing that really satisfies that self-gratifying (okay, 'wanking') portion of the lower psyche is to make everybody else follow his rules, no matter how badly they may fit a majority of the people. A majority, I hasten to add, that statistically, did not elect whichever ideologue claims to run the show.

Speaking of majorities, a majority of ideologues who say they're guided by 'strong principles' actually seem to take said principles on faith. Oh, they claim all sortsa intellectual rigour in the process of arriving at them. But really, they don't want to be confounded too much by facts. They believe what they believe. And, being faithful ideologues, they believe their ideas should be rammed down the throats of that majority of citizens (remember them?) that at best are disinterested in, and at worst disagree with, their ideas.

You might think that a coyote, as a native to Western Canada, (and often found lurking in the tall grass at the borders of the man's federal riding) would say that Stephen Harper walks on water. You'd be soooo wrong... wasn't that Stockwell Day's wetsuit press conference? And by the way, if you want to make a donation to the Coyote Party, please drop it in the collection plate at the door on the way out. I promise faithfully to use it to stay unelected. And maybe buy brunch. You've been a wonderful crowd. Thank you, and good night...